Whether he is playing in the world of football or the world of business finance, our new treasurer Keith Eck is always actively participating—never sitting on the bench. After graduating from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, Keith played football at UCLA and subsequently played for the Washington Redskins in 1977. In 1978, he coached at UCLA and in 1979 played for the New York Giants.
Keith’s football career abruptly ended in 1980 when he suffered a heart attack on an airplane en route to a pre-season training camp for the Giants. Because of that disability, Keith needed to refocus his goals. He eventually entered the financial services industry working for a pension firm, where his responsibilities included design and implementation of retirement plans for business owners throughout California. During his tenure, Keith developed a passion for assisting business owners with achieving their succession goals. With that noble goal in mind, he founded Keith Eck Financial & Insurance Services. “My experiences in the NFL and as a business owner have taught me the value of true teamwork,” he explains.
Teamwork is vital to the success of Encinitas Toastmasters, and Keith is a key part of that success in his role as the club’s new treasurer. He initially joined Encinitas Toastmasters in November 2019 to train as a professional speaker. His subject matter involves surviving and thriving despite life’s formidable challenges, and Keith has experienced more of these than most people.
These challenges include the loss of one-third of his heart and right carotid artery. Other life-threatening conditions included Stage 4 tongue cancer, a major stroke and survival of a small plane crash. In addition to the plane crash, Keith survived a car accident in which the vehicle was totaled. “Since I have been blessed with an amazing story, I joined Toastmasters to train to become one of the best motivational speakers of my era,” Keith says proudly.
To prepare for this lofty goal, Keith chose the Presentation Mastery Path from Toastmasters’ Pathways program. He is currently a PM 2 and starting on the third assignment for his PM3 Pathways designation. His goal is to give a speech once a month and attend every weekly Encinitas Toastmasters’ meeting unless he is traveling. His advice to new members: “Volunteer for as many roles as possible because this will accelerate the pace of your learning and improvement.”
What great advice from one of the most tenacious team players in Southern California!